ईशावास्यं इदं सर्वं: Introduction to Isha Upanishad

Isha Upanishad gets its name from the first word of the first Mantra. The First Mantra starts with "ईशा वास्यमिदँ", and that's why the Upanishad is called as Isha (ईशा) Upanishad or Ishavasya (ईशावास्य) Upanishad.

Given that Isha Upanishad is the only Upanishad present in the Sanhita section of a Veda, it is also called "Sanhita Upanishad".

Isha Upanishad is structured in two section. First section, Mantras 1-8 cover the knowledge of Brahman (the ultimate reality). Second section, Mantra 9-18 suggest Sadhanas (or method to practice), a prayer for a seeker.

Mahatma Gandhi once said if all the knowledge of Vedanta is lost and only the first line of the first Mantra of Isha Upanishad survives, we could easily reconstruct the whole Vedanta. Such is the importance given to this Upanishad.

Just to make it easy to understand, in this book, before going into real meaning of Mantras, we will go through a little bit of background of Shukla Yajurveda and Isha Upanishad.